The First Prophecy
by TwiBeams
Summary: Picking up where the epilogue left off, it's Victoire's last year and she's doing her best to make sure everything goes smoothly. But of course, the instant they step onto the train, everything goes wrong and a threatening prophecy is revealed.


**IT ALL BEGINS TONIGHT**

It was still early when Teddy Lupin materialized through the brick wall that separated Platform 9 ¾ from King's Cross station in Muggle London. The train had only just arrived and was blowing puffs of stream that filled the air with the musty familiar scent that they all attributed to the first of September.

Avoiding the few families that had arrived early to say their goodbyes, he walked over to the blonde seventh year who was leaning against a stone pillar. Unlike the others dressed in Muggle clothes, she had her prefects' robes on and various pins decorated her right shoulder, including her shiny badge from the PACMC, Potioneers Against the Cruelty of Magical Creatures.

"Hi there," he flashed her a wicked smile.

"Teddy!" she laughed, dropping everything to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Sorry Vic," he kissed her cheek. "Things are wild at The Stag. I had to sneak out to through–"

Victoire didn't let him finish before she planted her lips on his. In the three years they had been together, she was always the one to make the first move. She was passionate and impulsive which was complimented by Teddy's shy and reserved demeanour. Everyone agreed, they were perfect together.

"I'm going to miss you," he said, when they finally pulled apart.

"Not as much as I'll miss you," she replied. "You'll be exploring the world, while I'm at Hogwarts writing troublemakers up for detention."

"Head Girl won't be so bad," he told her. "Besides, you don't have to do the dirty work. That's what prefects are for. Just focus on your NEWTs this year."

"I wish it were that simple," she sighed. "Just promise me you won't run off with a beautiful model in Greece or one of those singers you're always interviewing."

"I promise," he told her. "The most beautiful woman I know is you, both inside and out."

"Good!" She quickly pecked him on the lips. "And you'll be home for Christmas?"

"Of course," he replied. "I wouldn't miss it."

Victoire smiled and wrapped herself tighter in his arms. The platform was starting to fill with familiar faces, but as far as she was concerned, nobody was there aside from her and Teddy. She had already spent a year at Hogwarts without him and it had been miserable. She didn't know how she would survive the next four months. For a second she almost envied her aunts and uncles who never had to complete their seventh year after the war.

"You better get going," Teddy said, interrupting her thoughts.

"I know," Victoire sighed.

She kissed him one last time, only to hear the inconspicuous cackles of her cousins.

"Don't worry about them," Teddy whispered.

"Oh believe me," she scoffed, "they will regret that."

Teddy laughed as he held Victoire for those last few seconds. He wanted to commit that moment to memory so he could recall it during the loneliest nights between now and Christmas. When the train finally blew the last whistle, he helped Victoire gather her things and saw her onto the train.

After the heartbreaking goodbye, Victoire hurried toward the prefects' compartment where she was greeted by Greyson Goyle, her fellow Head Boy, and potentially her only friend who was not related to her.

"I already briefed the prefects," he told her as they settled into their empty seats.

"I really appreciate it," she replied. "I'm sorry I'm late. I was..."

"I know," he nodded. "Teddy asked me to cover for you."

"Thank you," she smiled at him.

They exchanged pleasantries and informed the fifth year prefects of their expected duties, before she took her turn patrolling the train. As she neared the back of the train, she heard a commotion coming from a nearby compartment. She turned to look inside and found Rose and Albus with a few other first years telling each other jokes that they found on candy wrappers. Victoire stopped and flashed Rose a smile before approaching the open compartment that was filled to the brim with chattering students.

"Of course," Victoire paused in the doorway, "I should have known you would all be here."

"You missed it!" James said, slapping his thigh. "Fred just did the best impression of Uncle Percy."

"Come sit with us for a bit," Dominique said, grabbing her arm.

Victoire gasped when she felt her sister's cold fingers digging into her skin. She looked up to find the colour had drained from Dominique's face and she was ghostly pale.

"Dom?" Victoire tried to rouse her but it's like she was frozen in place.

"It all begins tonight." Dominique's usually cheery voice had turned eery and demonic, as if she was possessed. "The one they feared has learned the truth...In the darkness hides the lost heir whose blood runs black...taking lives to collect the souls. The followers are assembling, waiting to strike...when the House of Serpents sees the light."

Victoire watched in shock as her sister's eyes rolled back and she collapsed in a heap at their feet.

"Dom!" Victoire shook her awake. "Dom, wake up!"

After what felt like an eternity, Dominique began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open and she delicately pressed a hand to her forehead.

"Are you alright?" Victoire asked urgently.

"I feel like I drank an entire barrel of Firewhiskey," she muttered.

"Here," Victoire helped her back into her seat. "Let's get you some chocolate or something." She snapped at the boys. "Empty your pockets!"

James forked over a few chocolate frogs and Victoire tore open the package, feeding small pieces to her sister until the colour returned to her face. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw her returning to normal, albeit still tired. The fear had passed but an air of mystery still lingered.

"What were you saying?" James asked finally, voicing what the others were thinking.

"I didn't say anything," Dominique replied.

"You did," Fred nodded before butchering the prophecy. "The house of blood...er...hides the darkest souls..."

"It was like a premonition," Roxanne said. "Like we learned in divination."

"You can't tell a soul!" Victoire warned them. "People don't always take kindly to seers. We have to protect her."

They all nodded in agreement as Victoire held her sister to her chest. The rest of the train ride was quiet and reverent as they waited for Dominique to regain her strength. As the sun drifted below the mountains, the Head Girl reminded them to change into their school robes. She made sure Dominique was cradled perfectly into her cousins' arms and then disembarked to help the first years find their way.

"Firs' years!" Hagrid's booming voice guided them toward the boats.

Victoire made sure they were all headed in the right direction before she helped the prefects shuttle the older students into the carriages. When they were loaded up, she hopped in with Dominique who assured her that she felt much better.

"We should get you to the hospital wing, though," Victoire told her.

"No!" Dominique protested. "I'm fine really. Besides, I have to watch the sorting."

"For Rose and Albus?" Victoire scoffed. "You'll find out eventually. I need to make sure you're alright."

"It was just a trance," Dominique told her.

"But it's never happened before," her sister retorted. "You had me so scared."

"She'll be fine," said the girl sitting on Dominique's other side.

"You weren't there," Victoire snapped at her.

"Don't be rude to my friends," Dominique glared at her sister. "Tal's right."

"And I'll be with her the whole time," Tallulah continued. "If anything happens I can take Dom to the hospital wing."

"See!" Dominique said as they arrived at the foot of the castle.

Victoire crossed her arms in a huff. Sometimes her maternal instinct took over but it was only because she was the oldest and she had been charged with making sure they all stayed safe when they were at school. And this prophecy business was no joke. Even if Dominique recovered from the spell, she worried about the threat of danger to come.

"You should go," her sister said. "You don't want them taking that Head Girl badge."

Victoire kissed her sister's forehead before hopping off of the carriage, "but don't hesitate to come find me. I'm only a table away."

"Stop worrying," Tallulah told her. "I have it under control."

Feeling much better, Dominique stepped off of the carriage and grabbed Tallulah's hand before they strolled into the crowded hall. The two girls slid onto the Ravenclaw benches with their backs to James and Fred who were sitting at the Gryffindor table.

Opposite the house tables, Hagrid took his seat at the head of the room, a few chairs down from Professor Sinistra who had been appointed as the new headmistress. All the chairs were full aside from one which was saved for Neville Longbottom, the new deputy headmaster, who was leading the first years in a single file line.

When the first day jitters had settled and the students had quieted down, he unrolled a long scroll and began reading all the names in alphabetical order. The older Weasley offspring, watched as more joined their ranks. Some names were familiar pureblood families while others were new faces. It wasn't until they recognized Malfoy's name that they really focused their attention, only to watch the inevitable happen when he was sorted into Slytherin like nearly everyone else in his family. A Jasper McLaggen joined Ravenclaw shortly after, as did their precious cousin Rose Weasley. A small surprise came when Albus deviated from his family's house and ended up in Hufflepuff with Victoire, who had finally calmed her nerves and was no longer looking at Dominique with a pained expression.

"Hey," James nudged his cousin. "If you've recovered from regaling us with tales of the future, we're sneaking up to the astronomy tower after the feast. Fred and I stashed a barrel of Butterbeer up there."

"Given the circumstances," she teased, "I'll have to pass on the stale butterbeer, but you lot have fun."

"Suit yourself," he rolled his eyes and returned to his own table.

After the feast, James and Fred helped Tallulah get Dominique to the Hufflepuff Common Room before they headed back to their own dormitory to meet up with the rest of their Quidditch team. Their trunks had already been delivered so they changed quickly into Muggle clothing and then James grabbed the map he had swiped from his father's office a year ago to make sure the coast was clear.

Loaded with bottle of Firewhiskey tucked into their pockets, the Gryffindor Quidditch team assembled in the crowded common room. James was the first to arrive with his dorm mate Liam Vane in tow. Liam's twin sister Siobhan came down next accompanied by dorm mates Roxanne and Ayla Thomas. Fred brought up the rear with Douglas Wood and then they headed off, but not before checking the map to make sure the coast was clear.

"Keep quiet," Fred warned them as they navigated the halls.

They had hardly stepped out of the common room before he and Ayla were already holding hands. Following their lead, James slung an arm around Siobhan's shoulder but she quickly shrugged him off, letting her long blonde hair whip him in the face. Roxanne let out a snort as she did every time Siobhan shunned his advances.

It was nearly midnight when they finally arrived at the astronomy tower and the only light came from some blue flames that Ayla had conjured in a jar which she placed in the centre of the room. Meanwhile, Siobhan and her equally attractive twin Liam were already searching the room for the hidden barrel. As they gathered around, Douglas passed around a slender bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey which they took turns swigging from.

"Alright," Siobhan explained once the Butterbeer was freely flowing, "the rules are simple. Spin the bottle, whoever it lands on, you have seven minutes in the stairwell together. If it lands on family spin again."

Fred went first, but unbeknownst to them, Douglas had been perfecting his wandless magic in preparation for his NEWTs. With a flick of his finger, he slowed the bottle down and brought it to a stop so it faced Lyra. He flashed Fred a wink before Lyra disappeared down the stairs with him.

"Merlin, they're cute together," Roxanne said.

"Think she'd make a good sister-in-law?" Siobhan asked.

"I'd love that, actually," Roxanne replied. "She's good for him. Plus, then I would get to see her more!"

The couple returned to a muffled round of applause and if their wrinkled jumpers didn't give them away, their flushed faces did. They took their seats and James took his turn. Even with zero help from Douglas, the bottle stopped so it was indisputably pointed at Siobhan.

"Come on," she grabbed his hand. "It's your lucky day."

While they were gone, Douglas refilled everyone's glasses. James and Siobhan returned a few minutes later with silly grins plastered on their faces. The game continued with Lyra's spin landing on Fred and granted them another tryst in the bedroom. Of course, Douglas had been responsible for their second venture into the stairwell, but he couldn't take credit for what happened next. Without even charming the bottle, Siobhan's spin landed on Roxanne.

"Let's go baby," Roxanne hopped up causing Siobhan to flush red.

"Are you sure?" she replied. "This is stupid. You can spin again."

James led them in cheers, trying to egg on the two girls. Roxanne nodded and took her hand. They strolled into the stairwell and out of sight.

"We don't have to do this," Siobhan said in a hushed tone. "We can just pretend."

"I want to," Roxanne smiled. "It will be fine. Besides, I can't let James have all the fun."

With that, she cupped Siobhan's chin and kissed her lips gently. They were both tentative at first but quickly became more comfortable with each other. Then Siobhan pressed her against the stone wall, naturally their hands began to roam and clothes were shed onto the floor. They lost track of time but they must have gotten carried away because they were caught off guard when James let out a hoot.

"If you're going to clock in an eighth minute," James teased, "at least let the rest of us watch."

"Go away!" Roxanne threw a shoe at him to prevent any peeping. Then she turned to Siobhan. "Sorry."

"We should go," Siobhan said quickly. "Time's up."

"Right," Roxanne sat up.

They hurriedly adjusted their clothes and returned to the group, pushing James aside.

"Happy?" Roxanne huffed at him.

They took their seats and gathered around the bottle again. Now it was Roxanne's turn. She silently wished for it to land on the other Vane twin. Ever since her first day at Hogwarts she had been in love with him but fate, or maybe a talented wandless wizard, intervened and the bottle landed on Douglas. She tried to hide her disappointment. Fred was conflicted by the thought of his best mate snogging his little sister. For a second he considered ending the night there. Thankfully, Lyra had her fingers tightly locked between his as a form of restraint.

"Shall we?" Douglas gestured toward the stairs.

She tentatively followed him, trying to calm her nerves despite her disappointment in the bottle's selection.

"So," she said dryly, "should we get to it then?"

"Er...yeah," Douglas nodded.

All her life, Roxanne considered Douglas like an older brother. He was Fred's best mate and a fixture at family events since his parents had always been close to hers. Douglas had never been the object of her affection, but she had to admit he was easy on the eyes with his messy dark hair and clear grey eyes. He was nervous and she assumed he was probably considering Fred's reaction while simultaneously worrying for his life. She stood on her tiptoes to reach his lips because he towered over her. Trying to accommodate their height difference, he stepped down a few steps so they were on equal footing. She could feel his heart beating quickly and then she pulled away.

"Sorry," she laughed, "this is just weird."

"Right, yeah," he shook his head.

"My brother is probably trying to decide between hitting you and congratulating you," she laughed.

"Hopefully Lyra's distracting him," Douglas laughed.

"We should get back," she told him.

A disheartened Douglas nodded and they returned downstairs where they were met with a round of applause. Roxanne was disappointed when she looked to Liam and found him clapping alongside her brother but she breathed a sigh of relief when she remembered he still had a turn.

"Alright Liam," Siobhan clapped for her brother.

Roxanne held her breath as the bottle spun passing her over and over again until it came to a stop. There was a resounding gasp in the room when it finally landed on James. Roxanne did her best not to look crestfallen.

"No," Liam said quickly.

"We did it," Roxanne reminded him.

"That's different," James protested.

"Why?" Siobhan asked.

"Can't I just spin again?" he pleaded. "We're practically brothers. I'm sure you can trace us back to family somehow."

"Maybe we should just end the game," Fred offered. "It's time to get some sleep."

"You're so boring," Roxanne flung a bottle cap at him.

But he was right. It was getting late and they still had to sneak back into the common room undetected. The night may not have gone exactly how Roxanne wanted, but she had to admit that bonding with her fellow Quidditch players had certainly been memorable.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it so far and if any of it feels a little familiar, it's probably because I originally posted a first draft of this story months ago. I pulled it because the pacing was just too slow and I wanted to condense it so the first few chapters may feel a little redundant. I originally wanted this to span across 19 years like the epilogue but that's just far to large of a commitment and I worry there will be too much filler.  
**

 **As it stands now, this will be the first installment of 13 in the series. Each will include all 12 of the Wotters but alternate focus on one primary individual. Anyway, I hope you like it and please drop me a line if you have favourite characters so I can be sure to incorporate them more.**


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